It's another big year for talent in the state of Ohio with an outstanding class of defensive ends leading the way. Not surprisingly, Ohio State and Michigan have had the most success in the state by far.

The top overall prospect in the Ohio preseason state ranking, however, is offensive tackle Kyle Kalis from Lakewood, the nation's highest-ranked four-star prospect. Kalis has been in the spotlight a lot recently, de-committing from the Buckeyes and flipping to the Wolverines.

The top receiver in the class is the uncommitted Dwayne Stanford and he checks in at No. 7. Other receivers of note are the state's No. 12 prospect, Corey Smith, and Monty Madaris, the highest-ranked three-star prospect in Ohio. However, Smith will likely be re-classified as a 2011 prospect in our next rankings go-around and looks like he will attend junior college in the fall.

The top two linebackers are Josh Perry and Joe Bolden and those two will be rivals in college. Perry, No. 9 in the state, is heading to Ohio State, while Bolden, at No. 11, is bound for Michigan. The Buckeyes and Wolverines also split the state's top two defensive backs, with cornerback De'van Bogard (No. 15) headed to Ohio State and safety Jarrod Wilson (No. 16) recently pledging to Michigan.

It's an average year for quarterbacks in the state with three passers cracking the list. Tyler O'Connor is the best of the bunch at No. 27 and he's committed to Michigan State.

North Carolina's rankings are also out. As expected, offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (No. 3 overall nationally) leads the way. Humphries recently named a top five of Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina and Clemson. The state is also home to five-star defensive end Jonathan Bullard, who is also thought to be a Florida lean.

The Rocky Mountain States Preseason Top 5 ranking is also released on Thursday. Look for the state rankings from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri and Nevada on Friday.